Ed Rasmuson

By 2025, 65 percent of the jobs in Alaska will require some form of postsecondary education. The last time this was measured, just 37 percent of Alaskans held a degree and only 50 percent had some form of higher education.

Alaska is facing large workforce gaps today and these will only grow if we can’t educate and train our own residents to compete in an economy that increasingly demands, and rewards, higher education.

We know each of you wants to do what is best for our state's long-term future. We all want jobs for Alaskans, a healthy economy, a stable state fiscal structure that helps attracts private investment to Alaska, and quality education and public services to serve the needs of our residents.

We are encouraged when we hear legislators talk about Alaska's long-term economic health. But we are discouraged that we are running out of time to accomplish the one goal that must underpin all the others — a stable fiscal structure for our state treasury.